Comments Off on DIY fall decor using upcycled items from thrift stores

Fall is a great time to bust out new decorations, but you don’t have to break the bank to make your house stand out. Making DIY fall decor is a great way to save money and help the environment at the same time. From floating shelves to fall clothing accessories, here are eight autumn decorations you can make from common thrift store items or materials in your craft drawer. Cake Stand Pumpkin Display Nothing says fall like fresh pumpkins . You can proudly display these seasonal staples ( before you cook them up for dinner ) using an old cake stand, or you can build your own from old plates and a candlestick holder. If you are building one, simply mount the candlestick holder between two plates and paint them as desired. Glue down the plates to hold everything securely in place. You can build as many of these as you like, using different sizes holders to vary the heights. Related: Fall decorating ideas Floating Bookshelves Floating bookshelves can add a cozy and mysterious feel to a room, and you can build these imaginative holders with a few old hardcovers and a metal bracket. With a floating bookshelf, the bottom book holds everything in place while concealing the support bracket. Once completed, the shelf makes it appear like the books are floating on their own. For this project, all you need are a few metal brackets and some hardcover books. Start by attaching the bottom of the hardcover book to a metal bracket with a piece of fabric fastener. The fabric fastener should be attached so that it holds the bottom cover in place. The rest of the hardcover book should rest on top of the bracket. Then screw the bracket in place and install the bottom book. You can stack multiple books on top of the first one, just make sure the weight isn’t more than the metal bracket can handle. Stagger as many of these floating bookshelves on your wall to complete the look, and top each with your favorite knick-knacks. Sweater Pumpkins Cable knit sweaters make great DIY pumpkins that won’t rot if you forget about them. You can make these adorable fall decorations with a cable knit sweater, stuffing, yarn, twine and a sewing needle. Start by cutting the sweater in half at the armpits. Then, use the needle and yarn to create a running stitch along the bottom of the fabric, pulling it tight as you work around. With the bottom closed, fill the fabric with your stuffing material, leaving around 5 inches of sweater on top. The stuffing should turn the sweater into a rounded shape. Close the sweater with another running stitch around the top and add a piece of twine for a stem. Lastly, run some twine in sections from the top of the sweater to the bottom to create ridges, pulling tight for a more pumpkin-like appearance. Related: Front porch decorating for fall Basket Storage We could all use some extra storage around the house. Instead of buying new plastic totes, you can convert an old basket to serve as decorative storage space for all the seasonal items taking over your house, like blankets, scarves and boots. All you have to do is take an old basket and repaint it a solid color to match your existing decor. You can also paint a pattern on the basket to really make it stand out. Attach thick rope to the top of the basket to serve as handles, making a basket full of scarves, coats or blankets easier to move from the living room to the laundry room. Fall Clothing There are plenty of things around the house or at your local thrift store that you can upcycle and wear in the cooler fall weather. If you have any sweaters that are beyond repair, you can cut off the sleeves and use them as leg warmers, knit socks or tall boot socks. You can even make several pairs using just one sweater, depending on the size. If you have a blanket that has seen better days, cutting it just right can turn it into your new favorite scarf. The key is to getting the right dimensions. If you have another scarf on hand, use it as a reference point. Traditional scarves are anywhere between 55 and 82 inches long and 5 to 10 inches wide. Depending on the condition and size of the blanket, you should be able to get multiple scarves out of one piece. Seasonal Throw Pillows Take your love for fall to the next level by making throw pillow covers with old sweaters or flannel shirts. Start by cutting off the sleeves of the sweater or flannel, carefully following the seams. Then, put the pillow inside the shirt to get an idea of the best placement. Try to center the pillows with the pockets or buttons, which will lend these covers extra charm. Trim around the pillow, leaving an inch of fabric all the way around. Flip the fabric inside out and sew all of the sides together. Avoid sewing shut the buttons, as this is where you will insert the pillow. Once everything is sewed together, turn the shirt the right side out, unbutton the front, insert the pillow and re-button the cover. If your top of choice doesn’t have buttons, sew in buttons or a zipper on one side of the pillow cover. Related: Refresh your furnishings for fall Mason Jar Pumpkins You can make super cute DIY fall decor using old glass jars. All you need are the glass jars, non-toxic paint , twine and some faux leaves and corks for the stems. Start by painting the lids brown and the jars a dark orange. Once they have dried, screw the lids on the jars and use a piece of twine to tie around the jar just below the base of the lids. Add faux leaves and corks to the top of the lids, and feel free to paint on some fun Jack O’Lantern faces as well. Patio Lights Turning old tin cans into patio lights is a lot easier than you might think. All you need are some snips or shears, a hole punch, paint and tea lights. Start by removing any labels from the cans and cleaning them thoroughly. Use a strong hole punch to create patterns on the cans and paint them a warm fall color. If you do not have a hole punch on hand, you can carefully use a hammer and nail to create the same effect. Simply insert the tea light into the cans and place them around your patio, porch or even indoors. Images via Kamelia Hayati , John M. P. Knox , Sarah Dorweiler , Max Conrad , Shutterstock

Henning Larsen Architects has unveiled designs for the first phase of the “The Springs,” a mixed-use development currently underway in Shanghai that aims to embrace green living. Inspired by a style of traditional Chinese landscape painting called ‘shan shui,’ the Danish architecture firm crafted the buildings in the image of the dramatic, mountainous landscapes found throughout rural China. Trees and gardens will grow on top and around the stepped towers to create an immersive urban oasis of green. Developed for real estate company Tishman Speyer , The Springs is located on a 66-acre plot in Shanghai’s Yangpu district and will incorporate a mix of residential, commercial and retail. With a proposed 40 percent green ratio and a 33-acre wetland eco-park next door, the planned development embraces green living in both its surroundings and its design. At its core, Henning Larsen designed a series of terraced high-rises layered with greenery and clustered around a green public square to create a sheltered microclimate for improving air quality , reducing noise pollution and promoting natural light. “We wanted to create a protected environment in this city center that contributes to the potential for this development to become a new focus that generates and attracts public life in uptown Shanghai,” said Claude Bøjer Godefroy, design director and partner at Henning Larsen. “We understand sustainability in broad terms. It is important to offer people an environmentally friendly surrounding while at the same time developing a building that stages human interaction.” Related: MAD Architects-designed residences rise like mountains in a UNESCO Heritage site According to Tishman Speyer, The Springs will feature LEED Gold certification for the Core & Shell of the first phase. Public health will be promoted through a pedestrian-friendly design that boasts abundant open space and excellent transportation infrastructure.The Springs development broke ground July 12, 2018 and is slated for completion in 2020. + Henning Larsen Architects Images via Henning Larsen Architects

Comments Off on These optical illusion Star Wars lamps will take you to a galaxy far, far away

With the countdown ticking until the release of The Last Jedi on December 15, Star Wars products are flooding the Internet. But few top these awesome optical illusion lamps that illuminate 3D images of favorite characters like Darth Vader or spaceships like the Millennium Falcon. The lamps are said to have a lifespan of more than 50,000 hours. The Death Star or BB-8 could light up your room with these Star Wars LED lamps . Turned off, it’s two dimensional etched acrylic glass, according to Fatherly, but when switched on via a touch button on the base, the lamp shines with a 3D appearance. Most lamps have multiple colors; this one from The 3D Lamp boasts white, red, blue, green, yellow, pink, or cyan. They’re nine-inches-tall. A USB port allows the lamps to get power. Related: Star Wars-inspired NASA observatory will offer galactic views in Cyprus The lamps are said to be energy efficient , producing little heat, making them safe for a kid’s room or nursery. They’re often marked as limited edition, but as Fatherly pointed out, can be found on multiple online stores; there doesn’t seem to be a shortage. Mashable is offering Megalamps’ Star Wars lamp for $39.99 with the option of a 15 percent discount for a limited time; LEDMiracles is offering theirs for $38.99 . The 3D Lamp shop has their Star Wars LED lamps priced at $29.99 . R2-D2, Yoda, a Tie Fighter, Darth Maul, an X-Wing, and a stormtrooper helmet are among the other delightfully nerdy options for lamps to light up a room. Other optical illusion LED lamp designs are also being offered online, such as superheroes, flowers, or sports-themed lamps. + Megalamps Via Mashable and Fatherly Images via Megalamps and The 3D Lamp ( 1 , 2 )

Comments Off on IKEA’s new augmented reality app could totally change the way we shop

Ever purchased a piece of furniture, only to find out later it didn’t fit the style or size of the room? Swedish furniture maker IKEA is tackling this problem with a free augmented reality (AR) application that utilizes Apple’s new ARKit technology . The app will let users experience how sofas, armchairs, coffee tables and other furnishing items will fit into their homes in augmented reality. According to the IKEA press release, all products experienced through the app are 3D and true to scale. This ensures “every choice is just the right size, design and function.” Said Michael Valdsgaard, Leader Digital Transformation at Inter IKEA Systems, “IKEA Place makes it easier to make buying decisions in your own place, to get inspired and try many different products, styles, and colors in real-life settings with a swipe of your finger. Augmented reality and virtual reality will be a total game changer for retail in the same way as the internet. Only this time, much faster.” Users will also have the option of capturing the setting in the app and sharing it as an image or a video with friends. Related: IKEA’s SPACE10 lab is bringing a pop-up vertical farm to London IKEA is the first home furnishing company to build on Apple’s new technology to create an AR app that ensures customers are confident with their purchases. Reportedly, the app has a 98 percent accuracy as it scales products based on room dimensions. “The AR technology is so precise that you will be able to see the texture of the fabric, as well as how light and shadows are rendered on your furnishings,” says the press release. “ARKit gives us the opportunity to help shape the development of AR as an accessible tool for real-life decision making,” added Valdsgaard. “ARKit gives us the opportunity to help shape the development of AR as an accessible tool for real-life decision making,” added Valdsgaard. Beginning late-September, users with an iOs 11 may download and enjoy the app. In total, 2,000 IKEA products will be available to experiment with. The first release will focus on larger furniture products, including all sofas, armchairs, footstools, coffee tables and top-selling “storage solutions” that can be placed on the floor. Data collected from the application will also play a role in the launch of new product lines. “Now, technology has caught up with our ambition. AR lets us redefine the experience for furniture retail once more, in our restless quest to create a better everyday life for everyone, everywhere,” said Valdsgaard. To use the IKEA app, all one needs to do is: upgrade their device to iOS 11, download the IKEA Place app for free from the Apple store, scan the floor in your home, browse the list of available products in the app, select a chosen furniture item to experience, and move and place the product into the space. It is that simple! + IKEA Images via IKEA

Comments Off on Build your own indoor garden with modular LEGO-like blocks

Humans are spending more of their lives inside, missing out on the health benefits and beauty of plants . Winmart Design from Singapore decided to bring nature indoors with LeGrow, a creative indoor garden users can design themselves with LEGO -like pieces. The gardens can be equipped with LED lights , allowing plants to thrive year-round, or with a humidifier to improve the atmosphere of interior spaces. Chinese designer Haobin Lin decided to create LeGrow after he realized his daughter, growing up in a city, might not have the nature-filled childhood he’d loved. Inspired by her favorite toys, building blocks, he came up with the sleek, clean indoor garden system. Related: 7 indoor plants that purify the air around you naturally A LeGrow system can include planter pots, Power Pots, a humidifier, and an LED grow lamp. The stackable planter pots incorporate internal water reservoirs to reduce mess. A two-bulb LED grow lamp can provide light in six-hour increments for multiple plants, with a maximum output of 50,000 lumens. A diffusing mist humidifier helps create an atmosphere conducive for growing plants indoors, an area that tends to be dry due to heating and air conditioning; but the humidity can also improve human health by reducing eye strain and softening skin. LeGrow’s Power Pots are specifically targeted towards home office use; they can power the system’s humidifier and lights but can also charge a smartphone or tablet via four USB ports. Winmart Design is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter ; with over 20 days to go they’ve already raised around $45,000 of their $30,138 goal. They offer several options, starting with one LeGrow Power Pot with an early bird price of $34 all the way up to a limited edition package with 36 standard pots, four dual-LED lamps, one humidifier, and two Power Pots for $392. You can find out more here . + Winmart Design Images courtesy of Winmart Design

Comments Off on LEGO unveils gnarly surfing-themed 1960s VW Beetle available this August

The blue LEGO VW Beetle has a surfing theme, and comes with a surfboard, red and white cooler, and a striped cloth beach towel. The cooler is even equipped with a few beverages. The LEGO Creator Expert kit includes 1,167 pieces to create a model car that, when the surfboard and cooler are attached to the top via a roof rack, is 11 inches high, 10 inches long, and four inches wide. It’s sure to charm fans of the “Bug.” Related: LEGO is releasing their highly detailed and anticipated Porsche 911 soon The model recreates classic features of the VW Beetle, such as the curved fenders, VW logo, and “authentic 4-cylinder air-cooled engine.” The engine is located in the trunk, while a spare tire and fuel tank are under the hood. Unique hubcaps, a flat windshield, “wing-mounted turn signals,” and circular headlights complete the look. The doors, trunk, and hood can all open. The interior is beige, with seats that can tilt in the front and the back. Behind the rear seats is a storage space perfect for the beach towel. A dashboard and steering wheel add to the sentimental look. The model includes fun little details like beachy bumper stickers on the rearview windows and four different license plate options. LEGO recommends the kit for builders 16 and older. It will be availabe this August and will cost $99.99. According to LEGO’s press release , “This model has been designed to provide a challenging and rewarding building experience with a touch of nostalgia.” Via Gizmodo Images via LEGO Facebook

Comments Off on Dwell on Design 2016: Americas largest design event is coming to Los Angeles!

It’s that time of year again – designers, architects, and design enthusiasts will soon be converging at Dwell on Design , America’s largest design event, held this June 24-26 at the Los Angeles Convention center. Curated by the savvy editors at Dwell magazine, the three-day event will celebrate its eleventh year of showcasing the newest and most exciting advances in design. Visitors are invited to explore exhibitions featuring the latest and greatest in design, tour exciting Dwell-approved Los Angeles homes, visit full-scale prefab homes, attend conversations led by world-class speakers, and network with industry experts. Register now to secure your attendance before tickets sell out! The 3-day convention will feature a staggering 250,000 square feet of exhibition space featuring over 350 brands and just outside the center valid-drivers-license-holders will have the opportunity to test-drive the all-new Prius . Those considering home renovations can schedule free consultations with architects, designers, or tile experts. The opportunities to soak up design knowledge abound with three days of continuing education sessions and over forty presentations and demonstrations from industry professionals. Architecture buffs will be pleased to discover that during three days of exclusive home tours , they will not only get to explore stunning residences in Mar Vista/Culver city, East Side/Hills, Santa Monica/Venice, but will be provided with the opportunity to meet the architects as well. Fans of Inhabitat favorite LivingHomes will be excited to learn that the official Show Home of the convention will be a brand new green prefab LivingHome – the CK4.2 . The stunning 1700-square-foot prefab house will be the first two-story home ever constructed inside the Los Angeles Convention Center , and features 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bath, and an abundance of green features that have earned it LEED certification. LivingHomes founder Steve Glenn will be speaking at a panel discussion on June 26th. To get in on more LivingHomes goodness, visitors can sign up for Dwell on Design’s Home Tours and visit the iconic original LivingHome which launched the brand in Venice, CA. (We covered and toured this house back in 2006!) This gorgeous eco home, designed by architect Ray Kappe is still one of Inhabitat’s all-time favorite green homes, and it is definitely worth a visit if you happen to be in LA. The continuing education sessions (CES) will explore a breadth of disciplines- including hot topics like 3D printing and Architecture, Innovation in Prefab, and The Internet of Things. The programs provide Continuing Education Unit (CEU) credits and will be hosted by by AIA, ASID, IIDA, AWA+D, NAHB, IDC, SFC, NKBA, APLD, ASLA, along with other Industry Partners. Related: Dwell on Design 2015: America’s largest design event is coming to Los Angeles! Industry experts are scheduled on all three days to share their insights on topics that include Business of Design, Healthy Architecture, Nice Modernist, and The Smartest Home/Emerging Technologies. This year’s highly anticipated keynote speaker is architect Sou Fujimoto , renowned for his “delicate light structures and permeable enclosures.” Dwell on Design invites visitors to attend Fujimoto’s thought-provoking discussion of his international practice, which includes designing the temporary Serpentine Gallery pavilion in London in 2013, and winning first prize at the International “Reinventer Paris” competition. Inhabitat attended Dwell on Design for the first time in 2006 and many of the designs that fascinated us then, such as this BreezeHouse prefab home , are still making headlines today . Check out the rest of our favorites here . Dwell on Design is reliably always a great show, and we hope to see you there! + Dwell on Design 2015

Comments Off on New ‘Hobbit’ fossils provide a glimpse into human relative

With the discovery of a tooth here or a bone fragment there, archaeologists piece together the history of humanity – and a recent discovery on the Indonesian island of Flores provides new insight into human evolution . The teeth and mandible belong to a tiny 3-foot-tall hominin species many have nicknamed ‘Hobbits.’ Archaeologists first discovered these Hobbits, or Homo floresiensis , back in 2004 in the Liang Bua cave on western Flores. At that time the fossils created more questions than answers. Did they evolve from Homo erectus , or from other smaller hominins such as Homo habilis or Australopithecus ? They appear to have been small, with small brains, leading some to think they didn’t evolve from Homo erectus at all. Related: Did scientists just discover a new kind of ancient human? In 2014, archaeologists discovered new Hobbit fossils at Mata Menge, about 30 miles east of Liang Bua on Flores in an older layer of rock. This month, the journal Nature published their findings . The six teeth from at least three individuals and one mandible fragment they found reveals the Hobbits likely did evolve from Homo erectus . If that is the case, then the Hobbits’ bodies and brains shrunk. The archaeologists say it would have been an ” evolutionary reversal .” The Hobbits had small brains about the size of a chimpanzee’s, according to Gerrit van den Bergh, lead author on the recently published paper. However, they showed signs of sophistication and walked upright. As one explanation, the archaeologists speculate that since they lived on an island, perhaps they didn’t require large brains. In a video for Nature, Van den Bergh said, “Maybe they didn’t need such a big brain, because a brain is a very expensive organ, and maybe a smaller brain might work as well here in an island setting. But what is clear is that they made stone tools so they were not stupid.” The fossils uncovered date to about 700,000 years ago and were older than the Liang Bua fossils. Via ABC News Images via screenshot

Comments Off on Light and portable WHEELA combines the best of a bicycle and scooter

If you’re looking for a portable and lightweight alternative to a folding bike , you’ll love WHEELA . Weighing in at just six pounds, the WHEELA combines the comfort of a bicycle with the convenience of a scooter into a personal transportation device called the Scootbike®. As the world’s lightest collapsible scootbike, WHEELA is made with a tubular A-shaped aluminum alloy frame, a pair of PU wheels, handlebars, an anatomic seat, strap belt, and a front-wheel integrated brake. The WHEELA also comes in an Electric Boost edition that uses 2.35Ah-capacity Li-ion rechargeable batteries and a brushless 250W motor to provide a 40-minute drive. + WHEELA The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Comments Off on Woman crafts gorgeous floral arrangements out of paper

American consumers spend billions of dollars on flowers every year, an industry which has proven to be environmentally destructive in more ways than not. Floral arrangements may look beautiful for a day or two, but they last for so little time that it hardly seems worth it. Erica Worrall is one NYC woman who’s setting out to change this, however, by crafting the most beautifully delicate floral arrangements out of paper alone. The gorgeous bouquets, garlands and floral crowns found on her website Little Paper Flowers are handcrafted for weddings, special occasions, and home decor, and unlike their more wasteful counterparts, are made to last forever. Their remarkably lifelike quality makes them an apt substitute for botanical arrangements. We certainly hope this trend catches on. The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!